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Rookie QB Calls Back To Steelers Legend To Send Bold Message

Will Howard wants to be 'the guy'

Will Howard might be a sixth-round pick, but the Steelers rookie isn’t letting his draft status define him.

NFL Films showed Howard eagerly hoping Pittsburgh would draft him, and it did with the 185th pick. He’ll compete in camp with Skylar Thompson and Mason Rudolph. A potential Aaron Rodgers signing always looms around the quarterback room, but Howard didn’t shy away from the idea of being the starter.

“They need a gritty guy,” Howard said on “Up and Adams,” per PennLive. “Growing up, for me, watching the Pittsburgh Steelers, it was Big Ben. He was that guy. He was Pittsburgh. He was the Steel City, blue-collar, gritty guy. I want to be that, too. I want to bring the guy. I want to bring that edge, that energy, and I think I did a pretty good job at it at Ohio State. I like to pride myself on that and try to bring it to the Steel City.”

Howard helped the Buckeyes win the 2024 national championship, where he earned offensive MVP honors. There are still questions about his physical profile and passing ability, but he’ll try to prove his doubters wrong and mold a future with the Steelers.

Featured image via Brett Davis/Imagn Images